Members of the Department of Oncology attended ESMO earlier this month to present their research, chair sessions, and network with collaborators from across Europe and beyond. Read the highlights from our department\u2019s contributions to ESMO 2025.
The 2024-25 academic year has drawn to a close and we are saying goodbye to an exceptional cohort of students across our MSc programmes. In particular, we would like to congratulate our course prize winners from the MSc in Applied Cancer Science, MSc in Medical Physics with Radiobiology, MSc in Radiobiology, and MSc in Precision Cancer Medicine who achieved the highest marks this year. Many congratulations to Maria, Jack, Carla, and Yael on this outstanding achievement. We are confident that they have impressive futures ahead as leaders in the field of oncology. Read on to learn more about their research journeys and where they are headed next.
Channel 4 today announces 'Cancer Detectives: Finding the Cures', an observational documentary series that will explore the pioneering research that could transform the future of cancer detection, treatment and prevention.
Dr Peter Kok-Ting Wan, PhD, postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Oncology, has been awarded a prestigious fellowship from Pancreatic Cancer UK to develop a new immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer, which has the lowest survival rate of any common cancer. The project seeks to develop a novel antibody-based treatment that targets both the cancer cells and the dense, protective barrier that makes pancreatic tumours so difficult to treat.
Researchers in the Department of Oncology have uncovered new insights into how FLASH radiation therapy kills cancer cells while minimising damage to healthy tissues. Published in Cell Death & Disease, the study shows the key role of iron levels in FLASH radiotherapy's tissue-sparing effect.
Matthew Jackson, postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Oncology, has been awarded his first project grant through the Medical Sciences Internal Fund Pump-Priming Scheme. This award will allow Matt to build on initial findings from his doctoral research, investigating the fundamental cell biology of CD8+ T cells.
Dr Elizabeth Smyth has been elected as Director of Education for the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), the leading professional organisation for medical oncologists in Europe. In this role, Dr Smyth will be responsible for shaping and overseeing an inclusive, forward-looking educational strategy that supports oncologists worldwide.
Associate Professor Simon Lord has been awarded funding from the NIHR to launch a clinical study investigating the impact of insulin resistance on response to endocrine therapy in patients with oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer.
Researchers at the University of Oxford and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore have uncovered the mechanism by which cells identify and repair a highly toxic form of DNA damage that causes cancer, neurodegeneration, and premature ageing.
A new study led by the University of Oxford has revealed that a common and usually harmless virus may positively influence how skin cancer patients respond to current treatments.
University of Oxford researcher, Katherine Vallis, has been awarded new funding from the MRC to launch a project on the use of cell-permeant antibodies for the treatment of acute leukaemia. The funding will allow Prof. Vallis and her team to generate in vivo data on the use of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) for cancer applications, a crucial step towards clinical translation.
A team of researchers at the Department of Oncology have uncovered a key mechanism by which cells respond to their physical environment. In a pioneering study, published in Science Advances, Eric O\u2019Neill and his team describe a new signalling cascade, through which mechanical forces trigger the assembly of nuclear actin, crucial for nuclear integrity. Moreover, a common mutation in this pathway, present in ~10% of the population, was shown to associate with schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression, underscoring the importance of mechanical signalling in the nucleus for brain health.
We are proud to share the success of two early-career postdoctoral researchers at the Department of Oncology, Ahmet Hazini and Esther Ng, who have secured funding to deliver pioneering research projects that aim to advance the field of cancer immunotherapy.
Global biopharma company GSK invests up to \u00a350 million in a collaboration with Oxford to advance the understanding of how cancer develops, which could inform future development of vaccines to prevent cancer.
Researchers from the University of Oxford have developed TriOx, a highly sensitive blood test that detects six cancers at their earliest stages. Published today in Nature Communications, the findings highlight the test\u2019s potential to transform early cancer detection and improve patient outcomes.
The Department of Oncology at the University of Oxford is delighted to announce that our new MSc Medical Physics with Radiobiology programme has received Masters Level Accreditation from the Institute of Physics and Engineering Medicine (IPEM).
The Oncology Department at the University of Oxford is excited to announce the forthcoming publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) of the research paper \u201cGoblet Cell Differentiation Subgroups in Colorectal Cancer.\u201d This groundbreaking study sheds light on the role of goblet cell differentiation in colorectal cancer (CRC) and its impact on cancer progression and prognosis.
A team of international researchers at the University of Oxford (Oxford) and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), has discovered a new process for repairing damaged DNA that is particularly relevant for patients undergoing colorectal cancer treatments.
A pioneering study, led by UK universities, including the University of Oxford, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, the University of Manchester and the University of Leeds, has provided the most comprehensive analysis to date of the genetic makeup of colorectal cancer (CRC).
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